Railsplitters Win Easily Over Brevard
October 21, 2009
HARROGATE, TN - On Wednesday afternoon, the Lincoln Memorial University men's soccer team picked up its fifth South Atlantic Conference win of the year when the Railsplitters won effortlessly over league opponent Brevard College 4-1.
Wednesday's win puts the 23rd ranked Railsplitters at 5-0-1 in conference play, 9-2-1 overall and marks the seventh consecutive time the Railsplitters have evaded defeat, while being tied only once by Lenoir-Rhyne University.
Wednesday's scoring got started when freshman Fernando Silveira (Brasilia, Brazil) entered off the bench for the first time since going down with a knee injury during practice just after the Railsplitters first conference match of the year against Tusculum College. Silveira's presence on the field was quickly made known when he blasted a shot past Brevard keeper Jack Shaw at 26:11 to put LMU on top 1-0.
Only minutes later, sophmore Jemal Telore (Atlanta, GA) scored his first goal of the year with help from teammate Greg Lewandowski (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) in the 33rd minute to give the Railsplitters a 2-0 cushion. With the goal, the match for practical purposes was over and LMU took the 2-0 lead into the intermission.
As the second half got underway, the Railsplitters immediately began their intense defensive pressure. Finally, in the 58th minute that pressure turned to offense and took it's toll on the Tornados when an LMU player fired a cross into the box and the ball was knocked in by an unidentified Brevard College player. The own goal put the Railsplitters on top and seemed to take the wind out of BC's Tornado.
With the match now under complete control, just as he did throughout the end of the first half, LMU Head Coach Helio D'Anna called off the dogs and played much of his bench. While the Railsplitters' intensity level was just as great as it had been the entire match, the level of college match experience wasn't and Brevard began to get a few more offensive opportunities.
BC's only goal came in the 61st minute when Craig Galloway fired a long shot from nearly midfield on a direct free kick that flew over the heads of the Railsplitter defensive players and slipped through the hands of LMU keeper Ryan Beckner (Jefferson City, TN). While the goal got the Tornados on the scoreboard, it also motivated the younger less experienced players on the field to get the goal back.
In the 63rd minute, LMU freshman Chris Nash (Cuffley, England) scored his first collegiate goal when Greg Lewandowski sent a cross in front of the goal which was chipped to Nash by teammate Calum Calder (Strathaven, Scotland). Nash's goal gave the Railsplitters their final 4-1 margin and shut the door on the Tornados.
Defensively, LMU keepers Michael Watkins (Statesville, NC) and Ryan Beckner both bot credit for 45 minutes in the net. Watkins was tested only once early in the match and was credited with a save, while Beckner gave up one goal and made four saves in the match. Brevard goalkeeper Jack Shaw had four goals against and made seven saves on the afternoon.
The Railsplitters now have until Saturday afternoon to prepare for non-conference opponent Francis Marion University. The match with FMC will be senior day for the Railsplitters and the team will be saying goodbye to Renato Segalla (Santo Andre, Brazil), Pedro Canineu (Sorocaba, Brazil), Kyle Gros (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, Brito Martins (Sorocaba, Brazil) and Willian Moura (Belo Horizonte, Brazil). First touch is at 4:00 p.m.
